MNFarmHunter
Well-Known Member
First time breaking an arrow and first time killing a deer via archery so have no idea if this is normal.
I was 18' high in the tree at the feet and the deer was at most 5 yards away so I figure about a 7 yard shot. With the lighted nock, I could clearly see I hit exactly where I was aiming. She was quartering away and hit hit high in the right back just behind the front leg crease. What struck me about the shot though was it didn't appear that I had a pass through as I could see the back half of the arrow (and lighted nock) sticking out of her back as she ran off.
When I got down, I had a blood trail I could run along and she dropped 50 yards max from where I shot her. The broadhead did come out lower left chest just left of the sternum with 3 perfect blade cuts. When I pulled the arrow out however, I found it had broke in half with the front half missing. I walked the entire trail and didn't find it and figured the front half was still inside.
When gutting, the front half was not in her chest and the heart was undamaged. Best guess is that I double lunged her and severed her aorta and she pumped herself dry due to the blood trail and the chest cavity full of blood.
What I can't figure out is the mechanism by which the arrow broke. It happened so fast that I don't recall ever not seeing the nock and assumed I didn't get a pass through. Since I clearly did, my best guess is I got the pass through and dug the front half of the arrow in the ground. She then squatted down, pushing the arrow back up and out the entry point before breaking it off while she ran. That would explain the clean exit yet having the arrow sticking several inches out of her back. The nock itself was also broken off (didn't find that either) and the entire length of the shaft was bloody so it did penetrate at some point (giggity).
The part I don't know about is how the arrow broke. It's a carbon arrow and it looks like it was cut in half as opposed to snapping and splintering. Is this normal for a carbon arrow? On a side note, I shot this arrow Friday night at 18:30 and the Nockturnal nock is still working as of Sunday at 11:30.
I was 18' high in the tree at the feet and the deer was at most 5 yards away so I figure about a 7 yard shot. With the lighted nock, I could clearly see I hit exactly where I was aiming. She was quartering away and hit hit high in the right back just behind the front leg crease. What struck me about the shot though was it didn't appear that I had a pass through as I could see the back half of the arrow (and lighted nock) sticking out of her back as she ran off.
When I got down, I had a blood trail I could run along and she dropped 50 yards max from where I shot her. The broadhead did come out lower left chest just left of the sternum with 3 perfect blade cuts. When I pulled the arrow out however, I found it had broke in half with the front half missing. I walked the entire trail and didn't find it and figured the front half was still inside.
When gutting, the front half was not in her chest and the heart was undamaged. Best guess is that I double lunged her and severed her aorta and she pumped herself dry due to the blood trail and the chest cavity full of blood.
What I can't figure out is the mechanism by which the arrow broke. It happened so fast that I don't recall ever not seeing the nock and assumed I didn't get a pass through. Since I clearly did, my best guess is I got the pass through and dug the front half of the arrow in the ground. She then squatted down, pushing the arrow back up and out the entry point before breaking it off while she ran. That would explain the clean exit yet having the arrow sticking several inches out of her back. The nock itself was also broken off (didn't find that either) and the entire length of the shaft was bloody so it did penetrate at some point (giggity).
The part I don't know about is how the arrow broke. It's a carbon arrow and it looks like it was cut in half as opposed to snapping and splintering. Is this normal for a carbon arrow? On a side note, I shot this arrow Friday night at 18:30 and the Nockturnal nock is still working as of Sunday at 11:30.